Cooling apparatus



Aug. 6, 1946.

H. W. KLEIST COOLING APPARATUS Original Filed March 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 1946- v H. w. KLEIST 2,405,432 COO LING APPARATUS I Original Filed March 20,- 1939 2 sheets -shee t 2 Invanfof I z rman z'p't. 30114444 "giiw Patented Aug. 6, 1946 COOLING APPARATUS Herman w. Kleist, Chicago, 1-11., .assignor "to Dole Refrigerating Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Original application March 20, 1939, Serial No. 262,910. Divided and this application April 6, 1942, Serial No. 437,742

3 Claims.

This invention relates to cooling apparatus and has .for its object to provide a new and improved device of this description.

The invention has as a further object to provide a storage room or system for the articles to be cooled, wherein there is a series of fiat thin plates with coil in them, suspended in the storage room, the coils being connected with a compressor, a refrigerant material being circulated from the compressor through these coils and back to the compressor.

The invention has as a further object to provide a cooling apparatus consisting of a comparatively thin plate made of sheets of metal hermetically sealed, with a pipe therein formed into a :coil and'having flat sides which engage the sheets of metal, air being exhausted from between the sheets to cause the atmosphere on the outside to press them tightly against the pipe.

The invention has further objects which are more particularly pointed out in the accompany ing description.

This is a divisional case taken from my original application Serial Number 262,910, filed March 20, 1939.

Referring now to the drawings,

Fig. 1 i a side elevation of one form of device embodying the invention and illustrating the first plate of a series;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, with parts omitted, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the nippl used for exhausting air from the plate; a

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section showing diagrammatically a locker room provided with the cooling plates;

Fig. 5 is a view showing means of connecting the cooling plates in series.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a cooling plate made up of sheets I and 2 of metal, the sheets being fastened together so as to form a chamber which will be hermetically sealed. One of the constructions for this purpose is herein shown wherein one of the sheets, such, for example, as the sheet 2, ha its edge bent at an angle to its face all the way around, to provide the wall 3 extending all the way around, this wall having a flange 4 preferably integral therewith, which engages the sheet I. The flange is hermetically sealed to this plate in any desired manner, as by welding. The welding is preferably done electrically by running an electric welding 2 1 device around the plate in engagement with the flange 4 and the part of the sheet with which the flange 4 engages.

In between the sheets there is provided av pipe 5 which instead of being circular has its sides fiattened, as shown at 6 and I. The sheets I and 2 engage these flattened sidesli and 1 so as to have a large area of contact with the pipe, as will be seen by examining Fig. 2. Air is exhausted from the chamber formed by the sheets I and 2 by applying an air exhausting device to the connection or nipple 8 which is connected with the space between the sheets i and 2. This connection or nipple may be of any desired form. I have illustrated in Fig. 3 a simple form for this purpose wherein the nipple has an end 9 which projects through the wall 3 and into the space between the sheets I and 2. This nipple has a recess ID which is threaded at one end to receive the threaded plug II. Within this recess is a valve I2, shown as a ball. There is a passageway l3 connecting the recess H) with the interior of the plate and the valve l2 controls this passageway.

When it is desired to exhaust the air from the interior of the plate, the plug II is removed and a connection is made with an air exhausting device. When the proper amount of air is exhausted, the air exhaustin device is disconnected from the nipple, the Valve I2 maintaining the vacuum in the plate. The plug H is then preferably sealed so as to insure the maintenance of the vacuum. when air is exhausted from between sheets I and 2, the pressure of the outside atmosphere presses these sheets tightly against the flat portions 6 and l of the pipe 5, so as to secure and maintain an intimate contact with this pipe. An eutectic solution of any of the usual types 8a may be used to partially fill the Space between the plates l and 2 (see Fig. 2). The plates may be used with or without the eutectic, which may be a salt solution.

When the device is in use a refrigerant is passed through the pipe 5. This refrigerant may enter the pipe by means of the inlet l4 and be discharged from the pipe by means of the outlet I5. The inlet and outlet are connected to any suitable refrigerating machine or apparatus and any de-' sired refrigerant material may be passed through the pipe 5.

This construction provides a large area of contact between the pipe of the coil and the sheets of metal, so as to increase the cooling eificiency of the device and also provides a thin cooling device and at the same time increases its efilciency,

are the plates illustrated in Fig. l, and they are connected in this particular construction in secooling plates la are preferably located atthe ceiling, that is, suspended'from the ceiling, and

there are doors 3a, as shown, for access to the locker rooms. I have illustrated an entrance 4a to the main room with a passageway 5a along the side, the doors 3a for the locker rooms communicating with this passageway .so that there is no access to the locker rooms or the room 6a directly from the outside of the main room. The connection of the cooling plates in series is illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein the first plate of the series la is connected by a pipe I! with the expansion valve 18. The expansion valve is connected by a pipe IS with the liquid line from the compressor. The ends of the coils in the several cooling plates are connected together by the pipes 2|, 22, 23, 24 and 25. The last cooling plate la is connected tothe suction line 26, which leads back to the compressor. It will be noted that this construction connects all the coils in the plates in series. The usual automatic device for closing the expansion valve 18 is used, which consists of a bulb 21 connected to a pipe 28 and which leads to the valve 18. When the temperature lowers below a redetermined point, this bulb acts tocause the expansion valve to close and when the temperature rises .above a predetermined point, it acts to cause the. expansion valve to open. I

In Figure 5 is diagrammatically illustrated a refrigerating cycle in which the cold plates la are included. I illustrate for example a compressor 50 actuated by a motor 5|. 52 indicates any suitable condenser and -53 any suitable receiver. It will be understood that any suitable refrigerating unit may be employed, the mechanical structure herein illustrated being for the purpose of illustration.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows: i In carrying out the invention, the lockers la contain the food which is in a frozen condition. The COOIiIlg plates la are preferably placedon opposite sides of these lockers, the lockers being arranged so that the cold air can enter and'pass ther'ethrough so as to come into contact with the frozen foods and maintain such frozen foods in a into the passageway opposite their particular lockers sothat they can enter the lockers and removelthe frozen food. 7 It will be noted that thedoors through which these passageways are entered do not communicate with the outside atmosphere or with any warm atmosphere. By means of this arrangement, the parties renting the lockers may enter the main room and then may pass through one of the doors 3a into the passagewayopl'wsite their lockers and can remove whatever food desired and take it home.

a By means of this construction the food in the locker may be maintained in a frozen condition fora long period and until it is removed themfrom.

I claim:

1. A cooling system comprising a storage room for the articles to be cooled a plurality of food receiving lockers in said room, a passageway between the lockers by means of which the users secure access to said lockers, a plurality of cooling plates supported in said storage room exterior to said lockers, said cooling plates each consisting of imperforate sheets of metal connected together, with a coil therein having fiat sides whichare tightly engaged by said sheets, the coils in said several plates being connected in series, and means for supplying a refrigerant to the coil in the first plate of the series and for circulating itsuccessively through the coils in the remaining plates of the series, the plates being so constructed and arranged that the opposite sides of each plate are in contact with the air in the storage room.

2. A cooling system comprising a storage room for the articles to be cooled, said room having a plurality of corridors with lockers lining said corridors, a plurality of cooling plates suspended in the upper part of said storage room, in groups arranged in the upper portions of said corridors, each said cooling plate consisting of imperforate sheets of metal connected together and sealed to form a hermetically sealed space between them, a coil through which refrigerant material is passed, located in each said plate, the plates lying in vertical planes extendinglongitudinally along and in vertical alignment with said corridors, the

l sheets of each plate being held in intimate engagement with the sides of the coil in said plate, and means for circulating refrigerant material through-the coils of said plates, the plates being so constructed and arranged that the opposite sides of each plate are incontact with the air in the storage-room. r

3. A cooling system comprising a storage room for the articles to be cooled, said room having a plurality of; corridors with lockers lining said corriders, a plurality of cooling plates suspended'in the upper part of said storage room, in groups arranged in the upper portions of said corridors, each said cooling plate consisting of imperforate sheets of metal connected together and sealed v to form a hermetically sealed space between them, means for circulating a volatile refrigerant through said plates, the plates lyinginyertical planes extending longitudinally and in vertical alignment with said corridors, the platesbeing so constructed and arranged that the opposite sides of each plate are in contact with the air in the storage room. 7

" HERMAN men 

